


Free from love?

by LegendaryVulture (Yais)



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: English is not my native language, F/M, I'm not planning on writing NSFW but if I do I'll update the tags, KaixJay, Kinda fluff, M/M, Mentions of Nya/Jay, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, P.I.X.A.L./Zane, Past Kai/Skaylor, The Author Makes Sporadic Updates, The ninjas are in their twenties
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 17:14:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15801033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yais/pseuds/LegendaryVulture
Summary: Kai was only trying to forget his major crush on his sister’s boyfriend. Cole was only trying to comfort him.They didn't expect to fall in love in the process.





	Free from love?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Everyone!  
> This is my first Ninjago fanfiction and my first time writing in English, so I hope this is not as bad as I fear it is. If you find any mistakes and want to point them out, I'll be grateful.

Kai was lean on the frame of the Destiny’s Bounty cabin. From there he was seeing Jay and Nya hugging while pointing at the sky like there was something about it that only they were able to see. He frowned, but, even if he hated the sight more than anything in his life, he didn’t take the eyes apart from it.

He used to enjoy the quiet days like the rest, but now he was hoping for a villain to appear and attack Ninjago. Not like he wanted to see people get hurt, but he needed a distraction. Something to transform his awful reality and forget how much he hated himself.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Cole until he was standing beside him. Kai looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He had imagined his fellow ninjas were going to approach him and try to cheer him up, but he didn't expect them to make it that soon, nor that Cole was the first to do it.

In fact, he was almost sure Lloyd would be the first and had imagined him telling the boy that he was dealing with an adult problem. He wasn't prepared to face Cole or Zane and was grateful Master Wu wasn't around. As for Jay and Nya, they were never going to ask him what was wrong. The lighting ninja and his sister were unable to see anything that didn’t involve each other.

“Do you miss Skylor?” Cole asked after a long minute in silence.

Kai took his time to answer. Of course, he missed Skylor, but she didn't have anything to do with his problem. Maybe Skylor was the one who opened his eyes to his awful reality, but he didn't blame her. After all, she thought she was doing something good.

In fact, even if she dumped him, remembering the good times with her was the only thing that kept him sane. With Skylor he felt great because she was perfect. She always knew what to say and how to say it.

Maybe that was his problem. Skylor was so good that when she noticed they didn't have future instead of getting angry she finished their relationship saying that both deserved someone they loved and could love them back.

Kai tried to convince her not to leave him, but when she told him, she wasn't the one he loved, Kai allowed himself to savor the bitter taste of having to accept she was right. When they parted, he felt free from a weight he didn't even know he was lifting.

“Something like that” he answered elusively.

Cole frowned. The earth ninja was also sensitive and perceptive. Not as much as Skylor, but it wasn't like Kai was doing a great job hiding that he hated himself at that moment.

“Skylor and you were together for a long time. Now it may seem impossible to forget her, but it will be.”

“I know” he answered while wondering how bad will be to tell Cole to stop bothering him. He knew his friend had good intentions, it was normal for him to be worried, but it was more normal that he let him be. As always.

“I don't think that..."

“Cole” he interrupted “Can you drop it? I don't want to talk about anything. I need to be alone to think. Just go away.”

Contrary to normal, instead of getting angry or make a sarcastic quip, Cole cringed and backed away, hurt.

Kai felt like an idiot. “I'm sorry Cole, is just, this is a little complicated and talk about it is not going to solve anything.”

Cole frowned again, silently questioning his petition. "OK," he answered a few seconds later. "Do you want something to eat?" he pointed into the kitchen’s direction. Apparently, he accepted not to talk about the topic, but he wasn't going to leave him alone.

Kai didn't want to eat, but he also didn't want to keep looking at Jay and Nya. At that moment they were kissing, and It felt as if they were crushing his heart. So he followed him.

"Is late. Pixal and Zane are out, and they are not coming back soon. Also, it seems Jay and Nya can fill their stomachs devouring each other, but I need another kind of meal and so do you."

Kai closed his eyes and grimaced in disgust. "Don't ever say anything like that again."

Cole blinked "I thought you got over that.”

"I-I can't... is impossible to see your sister kissing Ja... someone and just get over it. She is my sister." His last words tasted bitter in his mouth. He knew his rejection wasn't because Nya was his sister, it was because Jay was in the sentence. "I mean..." he stammered without noticing he was speaking his thoughts out loud.” I know I shouldn't feel this way. It is wrong. Right? It shouldn't be unbearable, but... it is."

"Wow" Cole was a little surprised. "I'm glad Nya and I didn't work. You are an overprotective brother, and that scares."

"Of course, overprotective brother" he muttered the words, still not noticing he was heard by Cole.

When they got to the kitchen, Cole went directly to the fridge to snoop for food.

"You know," the earth ninja said while checking a bowl full of rice from two days "if something is disturbing you, you can count on me. Doesn't matter what it is, I'm going to be here always for you." His words were casual like they were related to the dressing on his right hand.

Kai closed his eyes, trying to picture Cole’s reaction if he told him the real reason why he was depressed. Deep down he wanted to talk to someone, but he didn't have the courage.

After the breakup with Skylor, he spent the first week regretting letting her go with that ease until he remembered Skylor saying "I know I'm not the one you love" instead of saying "I know you don't love me."

From that moment he felt like the earth opened before his feet and he was falling into the abyss because Jay's name was the only one in his mind and he wasn't able to make him go away.

He was in love with Jay.

Kai didn't have any idea how Skylor had noticed it, but he didn't want to know.  Thinking about how his unconscious actions could have betrayed him always gave him a headache.

In the beginning, he tried to ignore everything, but he always ended up looking at Jay's direction. His worst days were those like today when he stood in the cabin of the Destiny's Bounty to look at Jay and Nya hugging. He hated himself because he wanted to take away from his sister someone that made her happy.

At last, Cole decided to pull a pan from the fridge "Do you want..."

"I'm jealous of Nya" Kai blurted out without thinking. He needed help, but he was also scared to talk. Was Cole the right person? Was he about to ruin his relationship with him?

Cole closed the fridge. "Jealous of Nya?" asked unsurely.

Kai felt his mouth dry. What was he doing? He just needed to run, but his feet didn't respond. Cole was the right one. He should be. After all, he had already opened his mouth.

Even if Zane was in love, he wasn't going to understand because he was on a whole different level; maybe Lloyd was already a grown up, but he was always going to see him as a kid; and Master Wu, well maybe he was wiser and -in fact- had been in the same situation, but thinking about talking with him just felt wrong.

On the other hand, Cole was his dumb brother, as dumb as he. "I think" he was 100% sure "I lo-like Jay." He wasn't going to use the L word. Never out loud.

Cole opened his eyes widely. He was shocked by Kai's declaration because he was expecting all kind of things except that one.

Kai felt his face hot. "Forget it. I know I'm the worst kind of brother and this is nonsense." He rushed to the kitchen's exit.

"No Kai, wait." Cole stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "You aren't the worst brother."

Kai was hoping to hear those exact words for what had felt like years. However, he knew they weren’t true.

"Kai, being in love is never wrong."

"I can think in a bunch of situations when is wrong and 'your sister's boyfriend' is among them."

"That's..." it seemed Cole's mind went to a dark place because he had to shake his head to come back. "You loving Jay is not wrong. I mean... well... is Jay, I don't understand why anyone could..." Kay narrowed his eyes. "But, what I mean to say is that Jay is OK and you liking him is not wrong. Is just something that can happen, that happened. Is not bad."

"Thanks, but waking one day knowing you are in... you like one of your friends and realizing your girlfriend dumped you because of that, not to mention that that friend is your sister's boyfriend, is just crap. A bunch of crap!"

"Uh" Cole raised his hands like he was trying to calm him down "I guess so."

"And all this time I have been trying to guess what to do, but I can't think in other solution apart from leaving the team because I'm a weirdo who can't avoid to spy his sister's dates."

"Kai, calm down." Cole took the risk and went to touch him. At that moment Kai noticed he was raising his voice and was grateful there was no one near to the kitchen.

"I know this is not easy, but running away is not the solution. I thought you already knew that, after seeing me lying to my dad for so long."

"It’s not the same. You don't have a way to know how I feel. I have been thinking about it a lot of time, and that seems a good solution. The best of all."

Cole wasn't cool hearing Kai talking about leaving them. The matter was important enough to take him seriously. "Do you really think that is the best solution? Leaving us, me. After I told you, you can trust me, that I'll help you. Do you really think I don't understand what it feels like to be in love with someone who is in love with the one you call your brother... or sister… whatever, and knowing you have to stay back? Just watching."

Kai blinked and looked Cole, really looked at him. “Cole…”

“Shoot… What I want to say is that I do really understand, I've been there, and I'm here for you.” Cole had a sad smile on his lips. He was always cool around Nya and Jay, and Kai thought he was over his love for Nya, wasn't he?

"Thank you" he whispered. But deep down, some part in his brain told him that even Cole thought about Jay as his brother he wasn't. Not by blood, he didn't take care of him since they were little, it wasn't his responsibility to ensure Jay’s happiness.

Cole seemed to notice his reluctance because he took his hands and pressed them between his. "I mean it, you can count on me. Instead of being alone, feeling whatever you feel that keeps you on edge, I'll always be here for you, to cheer you up or to kick your ass if that is what you need. Do you get it?"

Kai hesitated, but in the end, he nodded. "Thank you" repeated, but this time he was really grateful.

Both looked at each other with a smile on their faces until Cole gasped. “Wait… All this time I thought you were straight and you are not! This is so cool!” 

Kai blinked “what?”

Cole grinned. “Sorry, it’s just, you know that I'm Bi too, and why you didn't tell me before?… wow, now we are going to have a ton of new things to speak of.”

Kai felt weird because Cole was looking at him like as if he was the best thing that has ever happened to him.

“What kind of new things?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

“You know. Stuff we don’t talk with the others.”

Kai imagined Cole and him gossiping about boys in their bunks like they were in a cheesy teenage movie.

“Do you want to have a slumber party and hear me talk about my wet dreams with Jay?” He asked/whispered.

“Dude!” Cole hit him on the shoulder “That is the last thing I want to hear.”

“What’s in your mind then? I’m going to disappoint you here cuz even if I have liked a couple of guys before, Skylor was my first and only everything.”

“Urg, that’s super sad. How is possible that she was your first?” Cole went to the table and began to prepare their food.

“What?! I was busy taking care of Nya” Kai pointed out, and Cole looked at him with pity. “And Lloyd, and you guys, and Ninjago.” The fire ninja felt like he needed to make excuses for not having a relationship before Skylor. “Also I had to defeat Garmadon, I traveled in time and went to other realms. Is not like I had time for… that. Also, I’m super loyal.”

“So do I. I was even a ghost and I still had a lot of time."

“Sure” Kai was skeptical.

“What did Cole have time for that Kai didn’t?” Both looked at the kitchen door and found Zane.

“Nothing” answered Kai at the same time Cole said, “hookups before he started dating you know who.”

Kai glared at Cole and thrown at him a slice of bread. The black ninja grinned while dodging.

“Oh” Zane stared at them a couple of seconds and then looked at Kai. “I’m glad you are feeling right, Kai. I was worried, you were taking more time than you normally took to recover. But now you are food fighting and talking about your sex experience… or your lack of it. So I think you are fine now.”

“Zane!” Kai felt his face hot, and Cole burst into laughter.

“What is the problem? I have never had hookups either.” Zane shrugged.

Cole kept laughing, and the red ninja rolled his eyes. “Where is Pixal?” he asked trying to change the subject.

“She is with Nya and Jay, talking about a problem with the Samurai X armor.”

“Hope it isn’t something too hard to fix” Cole said.

“I think it isn’t” Zane went to the fridge to pour himself out a glass of water, then he walked to the door to leave the place. “I’m going to check them.”

Before leaving he stared at Cole, silently asking if Kai was really OK. The earth ninja made a gesture with his hand to rush him to go with Pixal.

The red ninja pretended not to see them and smiled. Even if he didn't plan to tell anyone else that he was in love with Jay, now he knew he shouldn't be terrified of what his friends might think. They cared about him.


End file.
